Month: October 2016

OK, so you’ve moved into a new home, or you’ve been at your place for a while and you’re feeling tired, depressed, or confused. You want to renew your spirits, and something feels off, but you’re not sure what it might be. Should you hire a Feng Shui consultant or a space-clearer? Here are a few guidelines to help you understand the differences between these two practices and what may help…

Traditional Eastern Feng Shui observes how chi (life energy) flows in the exterior environment, and how it influences the energy of your home. Eastern Feng Shui consultants analyze how the Sun, Moon, cosmic cycles, magnetic fields, and landforms influence chi and how this affects buildings and thusly– human vitality. Space-clearing works primarily to change the emotional energy of your home, and this is a very important distinction. Sometimes we may feel the negative feelings of others, or sense an unwelcome presence, and are not sure how to neutralize this uncomfortable experience.Continue reading “Feng Shui or Space-clearing? Which is Best?” »

Just for Laughs’ Stand Up Comedian of the Year (2016) Sebastian Maniscalco adds a second show at the Hollywood Pantages on Saturday, April 29 at 10:00PM in addition to his 7:00 PM show, for his WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? TOUR.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Monday, Oct. 24, 2016) – Just for Laughs’ Stand Up Comedian of the Year (2016) Sebastian Maniscalco adds a second show at the Hollywood Pantages on Saturday, April 29 at 10:00PM in addition to his 7:00 PM show, for his WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? TOUR.

The WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? TOUR will contribute to the Tag You’re It! Foundation, Maniscalco’s own charity, by donating $1 for every ticket sold. The foundation, set up through the California Community Foundation, strives to support research in Alzheimer’s disease, children’s education and the U.S. military.

Maniscalco will return to SHOWTIME® this fall with his wildly popular “own kind of panache” (New York Times) in SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO: WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?, which began Oct. 1, 2016 at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on-air, online, on demand and over the internet. Maniscalco is the star and executive producer of the special, directed by Joe Demaio, which was filmed at Beacon Theatre during one of his seven sold-out shows of the year. The Manhattan show serves as the setting for Maniscalco to deliver his unique brand of physical and quick-witted observational comedy in a new hour of highly anticipated skepticism, all while asking WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?

Maniscalco is one of comedy’s fastest rising new stars. Born and raised in a working-class Chicago neighborhood, he moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to pursue his comedy career. There, he employed the work ethic his father instilled in him to build his name – simultaneously working as a waiter at the Four Seasons Hotel – and eventually drew the attention of actor Vince Vaughn, who cast him in Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show. Maniscalco also stars in his own wildly popular The Pete and Sebastian Show podcast every Friday night. Maniscalco can be seen in the 2016 season of Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee as well as in the upcoming feature films The House, starring Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler; Cruise, directed by Rob Siegel and produced by Jeremy Renner; and the animated feature Nut Job 2.

From Levity Productions, SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO:WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?, is executive produced by Maniscalco, Judi Brown Marmel and Stu Schreiberg, Steve Mazzilli and Chris Mazzilli. For more information, please visit SHO.com, www.SebastianLive.com and follow @SebastianComedy on Twitter and Instagram.

One of the most highly anticipated culinary events of the year took place at the majestic Saddlerock Ranch in the Malibu hills on October 16, 2016. Los Angeles Magazine’s 11th Annual The Food Event 2016 celebrated outstanding local chefs, gourmet food, premium wines, beer and spirits. Hundreds of Angelenos reveled in a gorgeous afternoon of gastronomic indulgence.

With about 40 top area restaurants, 20 wineries and several premium beverage vendors to choose from, guests had difficult, but very enjoyable, choices. We dove in and sampled some of the best that L.A. has to offer. Michael’s Restaurant had delicious duck confit with sweet potato, arugula and kale. Jitlada served an intensely spicy and complex ground chicken with tofu over seasoned rice. Knuckle and Claw offered a succulent miniature lobster roll.

While guests sampled the many selections from the food-and-drink stations spread throughout the ranch area, there were other entertainment options to choose from as well. A small live-music ensemble performed in the comfortable, shady area near the Belgian beer garden. The centrally located demo stage also featured renowned area chefs in an intimate setting. Ted Hopson from The Bellwether prepared lean beef heart that paired with a potent Glenfiddich scotch-whiskey cocktail created by Casey Levental. Marcel Vigneron from Beefsteak and Wolf wowed his fans by using liquid nitrogen to make lemongrass habañero ice cream.

Guests at the event paired the amazing food choices with equally special beverages. There were premium beer, wine and spirit stations to satisfy every taste. The Belgian Beer garden served frosty glasses of Stella Artois and Cidre apple cider. Elsewhere, Golden Road poured their tasty Wolf Pup Session IPA and Citra Bend hoppy wheat ale. Tequila lovers were kept happy as Don Julio served a traditional margarita and a tequila-based variation on a Mule, while Karma poured samples of their three signature tequilas. Ketel One vodka had a festive create-your-own cocktail station.

After nearly three hours of consuming decadent gourmet food, it was hard to think about dessert. However, once we saw some of the options, we could not resist. Salt & Straw drew a lengthy line of salivating guests waiting to be served several varieties of ridiculously rich ice cream. Cookie Good had an array of over the top creations including caramel-pretzel-chocolate-chunk cookies and pecan pie. California Donuts offered colorful, melt-in-your-mouth choices, bursting with sugary flavors.

It was an almost coma-inducing afternoon of overindulgence. While we anxiously await next year’s annual Los Angeles Magazine presentation of The Food Event, we’ll happily head out to the great Los Angeles area restaurants featured at this year’s fantastically hedonistic afternoon – we’ll just have to step up our exercise programs to compensate.

Mexican culture and cuisine are a big part of what make Los Angeles a great melting pot of people and The Taste of Mexico Association loves to revel every year in the unbreakable link between Mexico and California. Which is why that organization once again hosted its annual celebration of food and culture on Saturday October 15, 2016 in the courtyard of La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in the heart of Downtown L.A. – and the crowds formed.

The Sixth Annual Taste of Mexico Culinary Festival showcased some of the best Mexican food and drink served up in Los Angeles. Thousands of guests roamed the massive plaza, enjoying samples from some of the best Mexican restaurants in the city. And the beer, premium tequilas and mezcals that flowed from booths throughout the plaza revved up the celebration, while live music had everyone dancing through the night.

There were over 35 food vendors, offering a wide variety of authentic tidbits, making it hard stop at just tasting a few of the delicious selections. So diet be damned, we just had to keep nibbling on the outstanding dishes on offer. Chichen Itza served an amazingly creamy and vibrant yellowtail ceviche with sea urchin. Candela offered flavorful al pastor tacos with pineapple chunks as well as citrusy cochinitas pibil tacos. Tacos Punta Cabras had Korean marinated and then grilled short ribs, served with guacamole on a corn puff.

The Frida booth had a large taco bar with succulent carnitas as well as a full complement of spicy salsas and condiments. Chef Jose Acevedo and co-owner Jesse Gomez from Mercado/Maradentro/Yxta also served delicious carnitas tacos, but the long line of guests at their booth were there for something else, as they waited patiently for the duo’s amazing lobster tacos in crispy flour tortillas with Oaxaca cheese and salsa. Jimmy Shaw from Loteria Grill prepared succulent beer-braised veal shank with manzano chile salsa.

Premium mezcals were prominently featured at the event. Gilberto Marquez created an Ilegal mezcal cocktail that would be a big hit if served in 7Eleven slurpee machines. It contained carrots and caramel in addition to the premium mescal, resulting in a smoky orange, icy treat. The Mestizo mezcals were all incredibly smooth and had a fine depth of flavor. Other delicious premium mezcals were served by Banhez and Mexcal Tierra de Cuervos.

The Don Julio tequila booth offered tastings of their premium spirits and also made delicious tamarind-flavored margaritas. San Matias tequila served delectable cocktails along with their full line of spirits. Dulce Vida, a rarely seen organic tequila producer, provided samples of their full line including the new lime- and grapefruit-infused flavors.

The Estrella Jalisco beer booth was so popular that they ran out less than halfway through the event. Fortunately, the festive Michemobil michelada booth kept pouring their traditional beer cocktail through the night. Water, soda and other soft drinks were available for those taking a break from the booze.

The Sixth Annual Taste of Mexico festival was a delicious, wild party that gave thousands of Angelenos the chance to sample some of the incredible, completely authentic Mexican food and beverages available in Los Angeles. Nobody left the party hungry or thirsty. And we can’t wait for next year’s celebration. Until then, we’ll just settle for visiting some of those top-notch local Mexican restaurants who served up such great fare – happily, some are right in our neighborhood.

Oct 7th, 2016… Success often begets even greater success, which is why actor Danny Trejo feels like someone should pinch him just to make sure the last year in his life has been real. Since its opening earlier this year Trejo’s Tacos on La Brea the man who always plays the bad guy in movies has been consistently celebrated by the media and diners for what has become one of the hottest new restaurants in Los Angeles.

And Trejo’s Truck, which hit the road for the first time to stunning reviews in August, was an instant hit as a tailgate attraction at the LA Rams’ first home game last month.

Now comes Trejo’s Cantina, scheduled to open today, at 1556 N. Cahuenga Blvd, in the heart of historic Hollywood. For Trejo and partners Ash Shah and Jeff Georgino, the nearly 100-seat restaurant with its 34 taps, widescreen TVs, and a menu featuring all the signature Trejo’s tacos plus several new menu items starting with a seasonal Kale Salad, Charred Branzino, Grilled Spice Rubbed Half Jidori Chicken and Marinated Hanger Steak is another in a series of dreams come true. And yes, there will Trejo’s vegan favorites and some new vegan options as well. Mixologist Mark Hendrix has perfected some signature cocktails including a mescal negroni, spiked horchata, and a spicy mango margarita.

Trejo’s Cantina features many original art works including one of a kind animal head light sculptures from South African artist Michael Methven and original murals from local Los Angeles artist Jose Ramirez. Prominent to the design is the tap wall featuring 34 taps which will be serving local craft beer, wine, kambucha and nitro coffee. Hours are from 11am to 9pm during the soft opening and will extend closing to 2:00am after the soft opening.

Two events celebrated the kickoff of National Seafood Month during the first weekend of October in the Los Angeles area. On Saturday October 1, 2016 the second annual Off the Hook Seafood Festival took place at the Santa Monica Pier. On Sunday October 2, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s 3rd annual Sustainable Seafood Expo was held at CRAFTED in San Pedro.

There was a noticeable emphasis on oysters and tuna at the Off the Hook event. A lively oyster shucking contest took place in front of the music stage and around the private, sectioned off area of the pier, a few vendors served expertly prepared samples of the delicate bivalves. The Albright had a raw oyster bar set up while Fig Santa Monica presented amazing grilled Fanny Bay oysters served with a yellow chili vinaigrette. Boa also served bubbling hot, delicious grilled oysters.

Tuna was the star at the Del Frisco’s Grille booth – they served smooth ahi tuna tacos with guacamole and a chipotle cream sauce. Red O also served ahi, but on a mini tostada. Spinfish Poké House had yummy tuna, salmon and shrimp pokés that were available with tortilla chips or rice.

Guests were able to pair the great seafood with a variety of beverages. Shock Top had multiple taps pouring their signature Belgian White. They also had a booth in the VIP area with large cans and a variety of branded give-a-ways. Piper-Heidsieck served champagne and Infuse Spirits had several flavored vodka cocktails available in VIP as well. Non-alcoholic choices included Aloe Gloe, Boxed Water, Bulletproof Coffee and La Croix sparkling water.

The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s 3rd Annual Sustainable Seafood Expo on Sunday was focused more on education, but the event also included some delicious seafood samples. Guests were able to watch presentations by expert panelists and chefs in addition to gathering information from a variety of exhibitors.

Chef Bernard Ibarra from Terranea resort showed how to extract the meat and prepare a red abalone that came from the environmentally friendly Abalone Farm in Cayucos, CA. He served the abalone in an amazing escabeche with Spanish chorizo, herbs and spices. Chef Paul Buchanon from Primal Alchemy, an area catering company, talked about Grenadier, a deep water by-catch that is healthy, tasty and plentiful. Chef Roberto Flores of 22nd Street Landing Seafood Grill & Bar showed the preparation for his pan-seared, citrus marinated sea scallops.

The informative and tasty expo concluded with a Q and A session featuring actor Adrian Grenier of “Entourage” fame. As co-founder of the Lonely Whale Foundation, Grenier talked about his empathy for marine species and encouraged everyone to advocate for ocean health.

The weekend events proved to be educational, fun and extremely satisfying. Guests enjoyed delicious seafood from some outstanding restaurants in the Los Angeles area while learning about the importance of making smart selections when dining out or purchasing seafood. The theme of the weekend was that fresh seafood tastes great, is healthy and as long as we make smart choices, we can continue to enjoy it.